Chapter 8
Qui-gon awoke early the following morning and left the hotel for the chilly gray dawn. He wandered, apparently aimlessly, but in truth, the force was guiding him. The moment he had awoken he had felt the disturbance. He was now heading to the source of the trouble. To his surprise, he found himself being pointed towards the marketplace where Obi- wan and he had first met Kivutan.
When he arrived at the center of the marketplace, he scanned the proximity for signs of distress. There. There had definitely been a struggle, and recently. An overturned cart waited for it's owner to set it back to rights, and there were skuf marks on the pavement. He reached down to pick up a scrap of cloth hanging from the corner of a merchant's empty cart. Under close scrutiny, he saw a partial emblem. There was only a piece, but it looked suspiciously like an "O".. He searched the force for more clues. He opened his eyes, disappointed. Xanatos had not been there. It had probably just been another random kidnapping, like the others Tahl had told him about. But then why had the force reacted so strongly to it?
And still, there was no sign of Xanatos. They had already been on Telos two days, and they hadn't made any progress. If Kivutan didn't get then into Offworld headquarters today, they would have to find their own way in. Now that they had found it, it wouldn't take much to infiltrate it. "I suppose I better get back, before Obi-wan wonders where I've gone." He thought. That was another thing, he thought, as he started the walk back to the hotel. How did he think of Obi-wan now? Obi-wan continued to impress him with his skill and tact, among other things, while he definitely still needed training. Which Qui-gon could give him. Still, he was not ready to take him back as his Padawan learner. Perhaps if they spent some time together at the temple. He arrived back at the hotel, and cut off his thoughts as he entered again, and headed up to the room he and Obi-wan shared.
Obi-wan was awake, standing by a window. He turned around the minute the door began to open, quickly masking the anticipation on his face. He did not want Qui-gon to think he had been standing there waiting for him, even if that was what he was doing.
Qui-gon offered no explanation to where he had been; but simply glanced at Obi-wan and suggested,
"Perhaps we should go to breakfast?"
"Sounds good to me." Obi-wan said, grabbing up his lightsaber and walking to Qui-gon, and the door. After they had breakfasted, they walked to Offworld headquarters to meet up with Kivutan.
He was not there when they arrived, so they tried to look inconspicuous, while waiting for him to arrive. But time passed, and eventually they figured he wasn't coming. As they walked back to the hotel, they tried to figure out why he hadn't shown up.
"Perhaps he was detained." Obi-wan suggested.
"More likely we're walking into some sort of trap." Qui-gon replied.
"I don't sense anything." Obi-wan said.
"That doesn't mean that we're not." Qui-gon said.
Just then a poorly dressed child walked by. Obi-wan quickly stopped him and asked,
"Excuse me, do you know a Kivutan?"
"Sure. Everyone knows Kiv. Well, everyone living on the streets anyway. He's our hero. Why?" he asked.
"He was supposed to meet my friend and myself somewhere today, but he didn't show up. Do you know if he's at home?"
"I don't know, but I could check." the kid replied. "This way." And he started off down an alleyway.
"Come on!" Obi-wan glanced at Qui-gon, who nodded, and started off after the kid.
"That was quick thinking, Obi-wan. Maybe now we'll get some answers." he said. "Or maybe we'll walk right into a trap." Obi-wan countered, but he was smiling. The boy led them down one street and up another, and went to turn down an alley, when he stopped suddenly, turned around and looked at the Jedi.
"Wait. How do I know you're not Kiv's enemy?" he asked.
"Please. You're just going to have to trust us. This is very important." Obi-wan replied.
"Well I suppose if I blindfolded you, and took your weapons." the boy said thoughtfully. Obi-wan glanced at his former master, who returned his glance and said to the boy,
"We accept your conditions. However, if we give you our weapons, how will we defend ourselves against an attack? Even if you were not to attack us, someone else, like Offworld employees, might. Let us keep our weapons, and we will allow you to blindfold us."
"I suppose." the boy agreed reluctantly, pulling a few strips of cloth out of his pocket.
"Shall I blindfold you, or can I trust you to do it yourselves?" Obi- wan stuck out his hand, and the boy handed him one of the blindfolds, giving the other to Qui-gon. With his vision obscured, Obi-wan had to use the force to avoid stepping in potholes, bumping into walls, or otherwise injuring himself. It occurred to him that it might seem suspicious if he had too easy of a time walking, and after that was careful not to seem too sure of his footing.
After 10 minutes or so, the boy stopped, and told them they could remove their blindfolds. Obi-wan's sight adjusted almost immediately to the light, and he looked around. They were standing in a narrow street, in front of an abandoned apartment building. Most of the windows were boarded up, but stranger was the fact that there were very few other buildings nearby, and none of them were apartments, or in fact anything of the kind. The other buildings were warehouses, or other industrial structures.
"Our headquarters! Also known as Kivutan's home. It used to be an apartment building for housing industrial workers." He explained.
"I'll check if Kiv's here." The boy said, gesturing for them to follow as he walked up a set of steps to the door. The hallway was not dim, as Obi- wan had expected, but brightly lit, and cheerily, if sparsely decorated.
"Wait here." The boy instructed, hurrying off down the hallway and then out of sight. After a few minutes, he returned with a piece of paper in his hand. "He's not here." He explained. "But he left this note. It's from last night though. He always dates his notes, so we know when to expect him back. No one's seen him since then, I asked." He handed the note to the Jedi. It read:
I've gone for a walk, I'll be back by 9:00, if you need me, either wait here, or I'll probably be at the town square. Be back soon, - Kivutan
Qui-gon turned to the boy. "Thank you for your help. I think we can find our way out."
"You're welcome, I hope you find him. I would be happy to show you the way back to the town square, but I need to ask you to wear blindfolds again." The boy looked apologetic but firm, so they accepted his offer, and were soon back in the town square.
"Thank you again." Obi-wan said.
"It's no problem." The boy responded, and disappeared into the alley from which they had come.
Obi-wan and Qui-gon started walking back to the hotel.
"Do you figure Kivutan ever returned from that walk?" Obi-wan asked.
"No." Qui-gon answered. "If he ended up at the town square, it is extremely likely he was kidnapped. There was a disturbance in the force early this morning, and when I followed its pull, it led me right there. There were very obvious signs of a struggle.
"The note could have been forged, to lead us on a wild goose chase." Obi-wan suggested.
"That is possible, but I do not think that is the case this time. All signs point towards Kivutan having been kidnapped."
"But why?" Obi-wan asked.
They had reached the hotel, so they entered and headed in the direction of their room, bumping into Tahl and Too-jay in the lobby.
"Oh hello Qui-gon, Obi-wan." Tahl said. "I was hoping to see you. Did you get into Offworld?" she asked quietly.
"Why don't we go up to our room and talk there?" Qui-gon suggested.
"Of course, Qui-gon. Let's go." Tahl said, already walking towards the stairs. Too-jay started bleeping nervously, and Tahl sighed and turned towards the lift instead. "Fine you impossible robot, we'll take the lift, it doesn't seem that arguing with you would be a good use of my time currently."
"I am actually a droid not a robot. And watch out for the can two inches to your right!" Too-jay exclaimed. Tahl sighed and flung up her hands as the lift arrived. Observing the interaction, a slight smile flickered across Qui-gon's face as he walked into the lift with the others.
Back in their rooms, Qui-gon explained Kiv's disappearance to Tahl. "I believe-" Too-jay began, but she was cut off abruptly as Tahl reached over and switched her off.
"Now, as you were saying." Tahl said calmly.
"Kivutan never returned last night, according to the note." Qui-gon finished.
Tahl slowly soaked in the information that Qui-gon had just given her. "If Kivutan was kidnapped. Wait! Kivutan who?" she asked suddenly.
"We don't know his full name." Obi-wan said. "He's related to Xanatos, but lives on the streets, and hates Offworld."
"How interesting. That means that he is the same Kivutan I met my first day here. And he told me about how children have been disappearing off the streets. Perhaps he was kidnapped by the same people." Tahl mused.
"But why? What would anyone want with a bunch of kids?" Obi-wan asked. "Slaves." Qui-gon stated simply. "It all adds up. It makes sense."
"An interplanetary slave shipping project!" Tahl exclaimed. "I thought the Republic put an end to that nonsense years ago! But we have no proof. And we don't know who is behind it."
"The obvious answer is Offworld. We already know they have no problem with kidnapping. They could send slaves to work in their mines, or sell them." Qui-gon said calmly.
"But then does that mean Kivutan was kidnapped by Xanatos?" Obi-wan asked, the question trailing off. Qui-gon turned to Tahl.
"It seems our missions could be more closely intertwined than I had expected." He said with a wry grin. "I think we're going to need more information, to back up our hunch. Maybe we could get some evidence. Tahl?"
"I'm on it." She said, already considering the best way to break into the Offworld database.
"Obi-wan and I will try infiltrating Offworld headquarters on our own." Qui- gon said. "We need evidence, and that is the most logical place to begin. First thing in the morning, we will go. Obi-wan, I suggest you get some rest this afternoon. There is no way to know what we will be doing tomorrow." Obi-wan nodded, and walked out of the room, desiring fresh air.
He wandered a way before sitting down by a fountain. "I wonder if Garen is all right?" he thought. "Is Garen also being treated as a slave? Perhaps Xanatos brought him along when he left the temple last. But how? And where is Kivutan? He has been invaluable help in the completion of our missions." Somehow Obi-wan couldn't imagine either Garen or Kivutan being very good slaves. Eventually after having been lost in his thought for quite some time, Obi-wan decided to return to their lodgings. He should get some rest while he was able, as Qui-gon had suggested. Being well rested tomorrow was the best thing he could do for either Kiv or Garen right now.
Qui-gon awoke early the following morning and left the hotel for the chilly gray dawn. He wandered, apparently aimlessly, but in truth, the force was guiding him. The moment he had awoken he had felt the disturbance. He was now heading to the source of the trouble. To his surprise, he found himself being pointed towards the marketplace where Obi- wan and he had first met Kivutan.
When he arrived at the center of the marketplace, he scanned the proximity for signs of distress. There. There had definitely been a struggle, and recently. An overturned cart waited for it's owner to set it back to rights, and there were skuf marks on the pavement. He reached down to pick up a scrap of cloth hanging from the corner of a merchant's empty cart. Under close scrutiny, he saw a partial emblem. There was only a piece, but it looked suspiciously like an "O".. He searched the force for more clues. He opened his eyes, disappointed. Xanatos had not been there. It had probably just been another random kidnapping, like the others Tahl had told him about. But then why had the force reacted so strongly to it?
And still, there was no sign of Xanatos. They had already been on Telos two days, and they hadn't made any progress. If Kivutan didn't get then into Offworld headquarters today, they would have to find their own way in. Now that they had found it, it wouldn't take much to infiltrate it. "I suppose I better get back, before Obi-wan wonders where I've gone." He thought. That was another thing, he thought, as he started the walk back to the hotel. How did he think of Obi-wan now? Obi-wan continued to impress him with his skill and tact, among other things, while he definitely still needed training. Which Qui-gon could give him. Still, he was not ready to take him back as his Padawan learner. Perhaps if they spent some time together at the temple. He arrived back at the hotel, and cut off his thoughts as he entered again, and headed up to the room he and Obi-wan shared.
Obi-wan was awake, standing by a window. He turned around the minute the door began to open, quickly masking the anticipation on his face. He did not want Qui-gon to think he had been standing there waiting for him, even if that was what he was doing.
Qui-gon offered no explanation to where he had been; but simply glanced at Obi-wan and suggested,
"Perhaps we should go to breakfast?"
"Sounds good to me." Obi-wan said, grabbing up his lightsaber and walking to Qui-gon, and the door. After they had breakfasted, they walked to Offworld headquarters to meet up with Kivutan.
He was not there when they arrived, so they tried to look inconspicuous, while waiting for him to arrive. But time passed, and eventually they figured he wasn't coming. As they walked back to the hotel, they tried to figure out why he hadn't shown up.
"Perhaps he was detained." Obi-wan suggested.
"More likely we're walking into some sort of trap." Qui-gon replied.
"I don't sense anything." Obi-wan said.
"That doesn't mean that we're not." Qui-gon said.
Just then a poorly dressed child walked by. Obi-wan quickly stopped him and asked,
"Excuse me, do you know a Kivutan?"
"Sure. Everyone knows Kiv. Well, everyone living on the streets anyway. He's our hero. Why?" he asked.
"He was supposed to meet my friend and myself somewhere today, but he didn't show up. Do you know if he's at home?"
"I don't know, but I could check." the kid replied. "This way." And he started off down an alleyway.
"Come on!" Obi-wan glanced at Qui-gon, who nodded, and started off after the kid.
"That was quick thinking, Obi-wan. Maybe now we'll get some answers." he said. "Or maybe we'll walk right into a trap." Obi-wan countered, but he was smiling. The boy led them down one street and up another, and went to turn down an alley, when he stopped suddenly, turned around and looked at the Jedi.
"Wait. How do I know you're not Kiv's enemy?" he asked.
"Please. You're just going to have to trust us. This is very important." Obi-wan replied.
"Well I suppose if I blindfolded you, and took your weapons." the boy said thoughtfully. Obi-wan glanced at his former master, who returned his glance and said to the boy,
"We accept your conditions. However, if we give you our weapons, how will we defend ourselves against an attack? Even if you were not to attack us, someone else, like Offworld employees, might. Let us keep our weapons, and we will allow you to blindfold us."
"I suppose." the boy agreed reluctantly, pulling a few strips of cloth out of his pocket.
"Shall I blindfold you, or can I trust you to do it yourselves?" Obi- wan stuck out his hand, and the boy handed him one of the blindfolds, giving the other to Qui-gon. With his vision obscured, Obi-wan had to use the force to avoid stepping in potholes, bumping into walls, or otherwise injuring himself. It occurred to him that it might seem suspicious if he had too easy of a time walking, and after that was careful not to seem too sure of his footing.
After 10 minutes or so, the boy stopped, and told them they could remove their blindfolds. Obi-wan's sight adjusted almost immediately to the light, and he looked around. They were standing in a narrow street, in front of an abandoned apartment building. Most of the windows were boarded up, but stranger was the fact that there were very few other buildings nearby, and none of them were apartments, or in fact anything of the kind. The other buildings were warehouses, or other industrial structures.
"Our headquarters! Also known as Kivutan's home. It used to be an apartment building for housing industrial workers." He explained.
"I'll check if Kiv's here." The boy said, gesturing for them to follow as he walked up a set of steps to the door. The hallway was not dim, as Obi- wan had expected, but brightly lit, and cheerily, if sparsely decorated.
"Wait here." The boy instructed, hurrying off down the hallway and then out of sight. After a few minutes, he returned with a piece of paper in his hand. "He's not here." He explained. "But he left this note. It's from last night though. He always dates his notes, so we know when to expect him back. No one's seen him since then, I asked." He handed the note to the Jedi. It read:
I've gone for a walk, I'll be back by 9:00, if you need me, either wait here, or I'll probably be at the town square. Be back soon, - Kivutan
Qui-gon turned to the boy. "Thank you for your help. I think we can find our way out."
"You're welcome, I hope you find him. I would be happy to show you the way back to the town square, but I need to ask you to wear blindfolds again." The boy looked apologetic but firm, so they accepted his offer, and were soon back in the town square.
"Thank you again." Obi-wan said.
"It's no problem." The boy responded, and disappeared into the alley from which they had come.
Obi-wan and Qui-gon started walking back to the hotel.
"Do you figure Kivutan ever returned from that walk?" Obi-wan asked.
"No." Qui-gon answered. "If he ended up at the town square, it is extremely likely he was kidnapped. There was a disturbance in the force early this morning, and when I followed its pull, it led me right there. There were very obvious signs of a struggle.
"The note could have been forged, to lead us on a wild goose chase." Obi-wan suggested.
"That is possible, but I do not think that is the case this time. All signs point towards Kivutan having been kidnapped."
"But why?" Obi-wan asked.
They had reached the hotel, so they entered and headed in the direction of their room, bumping into Tahl and Too-jay in the lobby.
"Oh hello Qui-gon, Obi-wan." Tahl said. "I was hoping to see you. Did you get into Offworld?" she asked quietly.
"Why don't we go up to our room and talk there?" Qui-gon suggested.
"Of course, Qui-gon. Let's go." Tahl said, already walking towards the stairs. Too-jay started bleeping nervously, and Tahl sighed and turned towards the lift instead. "Fine you impossible robot, we'll take the lift, it doesn't seem that arguing with you would be a good use of my time currently."
"I am actually a droid not a robot. And watch out for the can two inches to your right!" Too-jay exclaimed. Tahl sighed and flung up her hands as the lift arrived. Observing the interaction, a slight smile flickered across Qui-gon's face as he walked into the lift with the others.
Back in their rooms, Qui-gon explained Kiv's disappearance to Tahl. "I believe-" Too-jay began, but she was cut off abruptly as Tahl reached over and switched her off.
"Now, as you were saying." Tahl said calmly.
"Kivutan never returned last night, according to the note." Qui-gon finished.
Tahl slowly soaked in the information that Qui-gon had just given her. "If Kivutan was kidnapped. Wait! Kivutan who?" she asked suddenly.
"We don't know his full name." Obi-wan said. "He's related to Xanatos, but lives on the streets, and hates Offworld."
"How interesting. That means that he is the same Kivutan I met my first day here. And he told me about how children have been disappearing off the streets. Perhaps he was kidnapped by the same people." Tahl mused.
"But why? What would anyone want with a bunch of kids?" Obi-wan asked. "Slaves." Qui-gon stated simply. "It all adds up. It makes sense."
"An interplanetary slave shipping project!" Tahl exclaimed. "I thought the Republic put an end to that nonsense years ago! But we have no proof. And we don't know who is behind it."
"The obvious answer is Offworld. We already know they have no problem with kidnapping. They could send slaves to work in their mines, or sell them." Qui-gon said calmly.
"But then does that mean Kivutan was kidnapped by Xanatos?" Obi-wan asked, the question trailing off. Qui-gon turned to Tahl.
"It seems our missions could be more closely intertwined than I had expected." He said with a wry grin. "I think we're going to need more information, to back up our hunch. Maybe we could get some evidence. Tahl?"
"I'm on it." She said, already considering the best way to break into the Offworld database.
"Obi-wan and I will try infiltrating Offworld headquarters on our own." Qui- gon said. "We need evidence, and that is the most logical place to begin. First thing in the morning, we will go. Obi-wan, I suggest you get some rest this afternoon. There is no way to know what we will be doing tomorrow." Obi-wan nodded, and walked out of the room, desiring fresh air.
He wandered a way before sitting down by a fountain. "I wonder if Garen is all right?" he thought. "Is Garen also being treated as a slave? Perhaps Xanatos brought him along when he left the temple last. But how? And where is Kivutan? He has been invaluable help in the completion of our missions." Somehow Obi-wan couldn't imagine either Garen or Kivutan being very good slaves. Eventually after having been lost in his thought for quite some time, Obi-wan decided to return to their lodgings. He should get some rest while he was able, as Qui-gon had suggested. Being well rested tomorrow was the best thing he could do for either Kiv or Garen right now.